Level 1 is the Sharks entry-level practice group for competitive swimming. To qualify for Level 1, a swimmer must be able to:

• Swim at least 25 yards without stopping (any style of swimming is acceptable)
• Follow instruction from a coach without parental intervention or support
• Safely remain in the water and complete practice sets for at least one hour

Level 1 practices from 5:50pm-7:10pm Monday through Friday in lanes 1, 2, and 3 at the High School of Science and Technology during the regular season. Pre-practice dynamic stretching and post-practice mobility stretching are built into this practice time. We recommend that swimmers in level 1 attend practice 3-5 times weekly.

Objectives for Level 1 swimmers during practice:

• Develop race-quality freestyle and backstroke
• Learn how to hold the streamline position and kick underwater on starts and turns
• Learn a basic racing start
• Learn a basic flip turn
• Learn the fundamental techniques of breaststroke and butterfly
• Build speed and stamina by gradually increasing yardage and decreasing rest times during practice
• Learn basic swimming etiquette including: circle swimming, determining lane order, appropriate spacing
• Learn how to set and achieve goals during practices and meets
• Learn how to develop from mistakes, failures, and setbacks